Movies and Concerts and the Circus, Oh My!

by Sheana OchoaAugust 25, 2011

By: Sheana Ochoa

My sister and her family had to take their son to college, a long trek cross-country to Cornell. So, she gave us her tickets to the latest Circe de Soleil’s production, Iris. We took Noah last night at the Kodak theatre. I doubt Noah will remember his first visit to the circus, but it was an amazing experience.

The production was state-of-the-art, impeccable, combining film tricks with phenomenal physical feats; the entire show was pure eye candy. A perfect metaphor. I felt like a kid in a candy shop, not knowing which way to look because everything was so enticing. Noah is an outstanding audience member. He claps, he gasps, he narrates what’s going on. He’s learning to whisper, so the latter isn’t so annoying to others. I’ve been taking Noah to the movies and to concerts for over a year now. I love that he’s being exposed to so much art and culture.

I think I am the one most benefiting from these experiences, however. The first time I took Noah to the movies he had just turned two. I didn’t think we would actually be able to stay and see the film, but it was an experiment. I couldn’t take my eyes off Noah who was absolutely mesmerized by the big screen. He watched the entire movie and has gone to half a dozen movies since.

Motherhood is more than I could have imagined. No doubt it’s challenging –creating boundaries, modeling correct behavior. But there’s this whole other aspect I hadn’t even considered. Not the complete adoration and pride, which I had anticipated. What I never imagined was all this laughter. The boy cracks me up. We laugh and play and tickle and act completely silly. Last night, I unabashedly clapped and gasped and narrated (voc sotto), delighting in the circus. With Noah, I get to be a kid on a daily basis, which makes the adult responsibility of raising him less daunting.

I do know this is going by all too quickly. One day I’ll be taking Noah off to college and this will all be over. But think of all the fun we get to have in the next 15 years!

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